Air conditioning apparatus



Jan. 19, 1937. c.l A. sTlLPHEN 2,068,090

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 19,. 1937. C A, STILPHEN 2,068,090

AIR CONDITIONING APPRATUS Filed Feb. 2o, 1934 2 sheets-Sheet 2 `Patented Jan. 19,l 1937 UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to air-conditioning apparatus and has as an object toy provide an improved construction `of suchjapparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of elements operable to simultaneously circulate, cool and humidify air.v

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved unitary assembly readily installable for air-conditioning operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved air cooling and humidifying element in air-conditioning apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved combination of air circulating means in operative relation with air cooling and humidifying means in air-conditioning apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means in an vair--conditioning apparatus whereby the degree of relative humidity in the air delivered from such apparatus may be readily controlled.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved air-conditioning apparatus that is relatively simple and inexpensive of construction and installation, positive,` eficient and Figure 1 is a longitudinal section axi ally,of one embodimenty of lthe invention. Figure; 2 isa@y elements off the invention are operatively groupedand supported, said base being of any suitable material and specic construction, preferably rectangular in plan and presenting a plane upper surface. Mounted in fixed relation on, rising' above and preferably conforming in outline with said base I5 is provided a suitable housing or box I6, of any suitable construction and material, preferably sheet metal, enclosing and thereby defining a chamber, imperforate save as hereinafter set forth. One end of the housing I6 is formed with a relatively short sleeve I1 of relatively large diameter Wherethrough communication between the exterior and interior of said housing may be had, and a screen or grill I8 ispreferably mounted in and across the bore of the sleeve I1 to obstruct the latter save for the passage of air therethrough. A suitable base or pedestal I9 is fixed to the base I5 within the housing I6 adjacent the sleeve I'I and supports a prime mover, such asl an electric motor 20, with its driven shaft on and inpalinement with the axis of said sleeve I1, and a fan or blower element 2|, of any suitable specific construction, is mounted on and for 25 rotation with the end of the said `driven shaft adjacent the said sleeve, said fan element 2|v preferablybeing received just within the inner end of tha sleeve I1 for operation adjacent the grill I8 andarranged to drawair from within .30 the housing I6 and expel the same' throughl -the grill I8.y Rearwardlyof the? prime -mover 20,

and in ,axial alinement therewith, a bearing 22 is suitably supported in fixed relation within transverse section taken on the vin xiicatedline 2-2 of Figure 1". Figure' is a: rear end elevation i of the `showing of Figure; 1. AFigure 4 ris [a half 5 is an end elevation of the showing of Figure. 4, ously described. To rotate the. said yshaft 24, FigurefG isv a longitudinal sectionltak'en axiallyof a modiiiedjembodiment 'o f thefinvention. f Figure 7 is ai cro'ss" section transversely fof the ing elementemployable lin the invention.'` Figure oooung and fhumidifying' gloriosos, 011 ustraud,V in

liquid-.level @melf @sans immovable [in .the

inventiongf In th construction' ofv vfof]` the,

1,' 3, and; 6. Figure 18 is` a" transveifse vkenv on' the indicatedline'-B'of Figure Figures and;r 10y arerv fragmentary',. detail y the eanwall of the housing IBVto supportaposl tively-driven. pulley 28,. or. .equivalentv element liadjacent4 and, within the rear wall ofjsaidihous ing, saidjdriven lelement, 28 beingoperatively connecte d,. ,sby means l :of an;-,1endless-:beltiZS numeral I5 "designatesa base whereonl the other the housing; I6, said bearing aliningwith a'simi` shaft @of aL speedreduction assembly; 21the low-1 larA ory identical bearing 23 -adjacent the rear end fwall of said housing, so that, a .shaft 24h#` mountedrfor rotation insaid bearings 2 2 and-"2` [23 is ,therebyypositloned longitudinally of'wthe rear'portion of the housing Iiiv in a1inementwith fla suitable?. primamover,A Such as' an electric 4f "support 26 rigidlysecured tov-and without'l the 45 rear'wall lof gthehousing I6 with its driven shafty "in operative v connection withfthe higherospeed er speedI shaft of Whichasseinbly extends through engaging'about av belt pulley 30 fixedV to the shaft 24, with means for transmitting the rotation of said element to effect simultaneous rotation of the shaft 24, it being obvious that through selection of ratios in the assembly 21 and between the pulleys operating the shaft 24 the said shaft may be connected for rotation at any desired speed less than that of the prime mover driven shaft. Fixed to and for rotation with said shaft 24 is mounted an air cooling and humidifying assembly constructed as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7, or having the modified construction illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, either of said constructions being eiiiciently operable with the other elements of the invention. As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7, the assembly mounted on the shaft 24 comprises identical reel or spool end elements spaced apart and.

fixed to said shaft 24 adjacent the supporting bearings thereof in perpendicular relation with said shaft, each of said elements comprisinga hub 3|, spokes 32 radiating from the said hub and an annular web portion 33 carried by said spokes in concentric relation with said hub. The vouter peripheries of the parallel webs 33 are rigidly interconnected by means of rods 34 uniformly spaced about said peripheries, in parallel relation with the shaft 24, and the inner peripheries .of said webs are similarly interconnected by means of rods 35 parallel with the rods 34 and bisecting the spacing between said latter rods, and aV length of suitable fabric 36, having a width equal to the spacing between the webs 33, is threaded over a rod 34 and under the next adjacent rod 35 entirely around the reel formed by said rods to form a reel surface of serrate outline, as clearly illustrated in Figure 7. The ends of the fabric 36 are suitably interconnected so that said fabric is effectively endless about its supporting reel. In the modification of the reel construction shown in Figures 4 and 5, a relatively large hub 31 is provided in xed relation on the shaft 24 and extending substantially the length of said shaft between the supporting bearings thereof, said hub 31 supporting uniformly spaced, radial spokes or rods 38 adjacent each of itsy ends, which spokes l are so staggered as' to position a given spoke on one end of the hub 31 in bisecting relation with the space between adjacent spokes lon the other end of said hub, and a length of suitable fabric 36', having a width equal to the radial projection of the spokes 38, is threaded longitudinally of the hub 31, from end to end thereof, passing at leach end of said hub about a spoke 38 and from a given spoke to thenext adjacent spoke at the opposite end of said hub, to provide a zig-zag outline of said fabric on the reel periphery, the ends of said fabric being interconnected to forma continuous web thereof. The reel constructed as irst described presents a cylinder with an opening entirely through its center, and it is a function of the invention to pass the air delivered by the fan element 2| through the hollow interior of said cylinder, to which end a suitable partition 39 is disposed transversely of the housing .I6 closely adjacent.V

permitting aocaooo rib carried by the adjacent web 33 to substantially seal the one relative to the other while relative rotation therebetween. Spaced forwardly of the partition 39, a second partition 4| is disposed transversely of the housing I6 and closes against the sides and bottom of said housing, said partition 4| extending upwardly from the oor of the housing to a point slightly below the plane of the lower margin of the aperture 4U, thence inclining forwardly and upwardly of the housing a relatively short distance, and finally extending upwardly to terminate in a margin disposed slightly above the axis of the shaft 24, a horizontal, perforated baille or screen 42 interconnecting the lowermost angle of the partition 4| with the partition 39 immediately above the perforated portion 39' of the latter. The lower portion of the partition 4| cooperates with the bottom, side and rear walls of the housing I6 to provide a tray or compartment adapted to contain water, which liquid may be supplied thereto in any convenient and suitable manner, a supply line 43 operatively communicating with` saidcompartment and supporting an automatic, iioat-controlled valve 44 therein being illustrated in Figure 2 as one convenient means for maintaining the desired level in said water compartment, drain means, such as a valve or spigot 45, being provided. to aid in emptying the said compartment. In Figures 9 and 10 is illustrated an adjustable level control for the water compartment hereabove described, said level control comprising an overflow pipe 46 having an open upper end wherethrough water in excess of the level desired may drain, the stand-pipe portion of said overflow pipe having a swivel connection with the rest of the pipe to permit adjustment of said portion through a. vertical arc for variation in the vertical projection of its open end and consequent variation in the water level determined thereby. Inlet of air to the housing I6 is had between the rear wall thereof and the partition 39 and may be had in any manner suitable to the specific installation of the assembly, apertures protected by screens 41 and positioned in side and rear walls of said housingbeing illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 as satisfactory provision for such air inlet in certain installations, while in Figure 6 is shown an air conduit 48 opening through the top of vsaid housing, which conduit may lead from rooms or compartments to be air-conditioned, or from any other source of air'. supply, as may b e desired.

In the operation of the improvement as shown and,described, the level of water maintained in the water compartment and the diameter of the reel assembly are so proportioned as to at all times submerge a portion of said reel periphery, so that, as the reel is rotated, the fabric 36 of said reel becomes moistened or saturated to greater or less degree depending on the depth to which the water level is maintained. Since the air drawn through the housing I6 by the fan element 2| must of necessity pass either through the vfabric 36 Vof the reel or through the cylindrical axial bore within said reel, where it comes in contact with water dripping from and water vapor given off by said fabric, it is obvilperature of the water.

stream and into the water of thereapparatus.

Ihe upward extension of the partition 4I acts as a baille over which the moisture-laden air must pass, and acts to arrest any excess moisture can'ied by the air and return the 'same to the |water compartment Should cooling effect above vthat obtainable through the 'use of water alone be desired, it is obvious that ice or other cooling agencies may be included in the water compartment, vespecially between the partition 4I and partition portion 39', to lower the tem- It is of course within the contemplation of the invention that an outlet conduit may be employed to direct the air discharge from the housing I6 as may be desired, which, in combination with the air inlet conduit previously described, permits air-conditioning of roomsand structures remote from the apparatus installation, and it is to be noted that through adjustment of fan and reel speeds and control of the water level in the apparatus. the degree of cooling and the degree of relative humidity can be varied to the needs of any specific installation. The apparatus can be easily arranged for fully automatic operation through operative installation of known devices operable to open and close electric circuits through variation in either or both temperature and humidity. i

When the modified reel construction illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 is employed, it is necessary to enclose said modified reel in a suitable housing 48 closely embracing said reel and so cooperating with the housing I6 as to direct the air flow through said housing closely about as illustrated in Figures 6 vand 8, the essential arrangement, operation and function of the various elements is substantially the same as previously described, the only important differences being found in/certain structural arrangement whereby the reel assembly and fan element 2| l may be simultaneously operated by a single -prime mover. In the modified construction, as

illustrated, a long shaft 49 yextends longitudinally of the housing I6 and is supported forrotation in suitable bearings 50 and 5| carried by clearly shown in Figure 6. The shaft 24 of the reel assembly is replaced by a hollow shaft 24' on which the vreel elements are assembled as previously set forth, said hollow shaft 24 being vtelescoped over the shaft 49 for support of the reel assembly by said latter shaft and independent rotation of `said shaft 24' on and relative to the shaft 49, anti-friction devices indicated at 53 preferably being suitably positioned between the telescoped shafts. The reel assembly may be operatively connectedin driven.' relationY with ltlieshaft 49 inff'suitablejmanner, it beingessential-that suchy drivinggarr gement 1 provide for rotation ofvflhiv "refellvassem much 1ess thanthatpor tne'i'shafta, one ar: A

rangement effective to that end beingillustrated in Figures`6 andi?, wherein a small pulley 54 is shown in fixed relation with the shaft 49 and belt connection with a relatively large idlerpulley 55, a small pulley 56 rotatable with the` 'pulleyv 55 being belt connected with a second large-idler;

'pulley 51 and 'a small pulley 58 rotatable with the latter idler being belt connected with a relav tively large. pulley 59yxed tothe shaft 24', so that rotation of -said shaft 49 may act to simultaneously rotate the reel assembly at reduced speed. Preferably the reel driving mechanism is segregated in a compartmentv formed on and substantially sealed from the rear wall of the housing I6, for protection of said mechanism from excess moisture. The operation of the modified construction just described is functionally identical with that of the rst described arrangement, and adaptation of the last described construction for fully automatic operation may be had in the manner previously described.

Since many-changes in the specific construction, arrangement, form and combination 'of the elements shown and described may be had withy out departing from the spirit of the invention,

1. Air-conditioning apparatus comprising, invv operative combination, a housing defining a chamber, an apertured partition transversely of said chamber, air inlet and air exhaust means communicating through said housing with said chamber on opposite sides of said partition, a

rotatable, fabric-covered reel insaid Achamber on the inlet side of said partition and cooperating with the aperture of said partition in such manner as to require air from said inlet passing through said partition aperture to first traverse said reel, means for rotating said reel, means operable through rotation of said reel to automatically supply cooling liquid to said fabric reel vSI5 to intercept and return excess liquid'carried by said air from said reel.

comprising a fabric-covered reel rotatably car-l riedin said housing intermediate said air inlet and partition in peripheral engagement with a supply of cooling liquid and cooperating with said apertured partition to obstruct said air passage, means for rotating said cooling and humidifying means, and a baille transversely' of said housing between said partition and fan means operable to intercept and return excess liquid carried by air circulated through. said cooling and humidifying means.'

3. In air-conditioning apparatus having a housing, an air passage through said housing and means for circulating air through said passage, air cooling and humidifying means in said housing in obstructing relation with said air passage, said means comprising a fabric-cov# ered reel mounted for rotation in said housing, means for rotating said reel, means automatically operable through rotation of said reel to supply cooling liquid to the fabric reel cover, partition means in said housing between said reel and said air circulating means cooperating with said reel to direct air ow within said housing through said reel and a baille transversely of said housing between said ypartition and air circulating means operable to intercept and return. excess liquid carried by the air circulated through said reel.

4. In air-conditioning apparatus having a housing, an air passage through said housing and means for circulating air through said passage, air cooling and humidifying means in said housing in obstructing relation with said air passage, said means comprising a fabric-covered reel mounted for rotation in said housing, means for rotating said reel through a supply of cooling liquid in said housing automatically maintained in constant wetting engagement with a portion of said reel cover, partition means in said housing between said reel and said air circulating means cooperating with said reel to direct air ow Within said housing through said reel and' a baffle transversely of said housing in spaced relation With said partition operable to intercept and return excess liquid delivered from said reel to the air circulated therethrough.

5. In air-conditioning apparatus of the character described, an assembly comprising a rotatable shaft, a hub on said shaft, spokes radiating from opposite ends of said hub and in staggered relation with one another, and a fabric cover woven from end to end of said hub about alternately adjacent spokes to form a series of interconnected, fabric webs radiating from said hub in inclined relation with the axis of the latter and defining triangular pockets opening radially of said hub and alternately to opposite ends of said hub; together with a housing for said assembly operable to direct air ow therethrough and means for rotating said assembly with a portion of said fabric immersed in a supply of cooling liquid.

CHARLES A. STILPHEN. 

